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Hendrix scholarships and merit aid

Two prices: the posted one, and yours.

Posted price$61,880per year · 2026-2027 · cost of attendance
Yours?depends on the rules below

The short answer

Hendrix may be worth checking, but its awards do not follow a simple grades-and-scores chart. Start with the published scholarships below.

Where does your student land?

Verified Jul 2026
3 school sources to explore

Published rules, with the school sources close at hand. Confirm the details before you count on an award.

The award collection

Published scholarships

These amounts and requirements come from the school’s own published pages. Open an award to see who qualifies and how to keep it.

Where does your student land?

  1. Hendrix College Scholarship (Hendrix Achievement-Based Scholarship)$20,000 and upNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Hendrix College Scholarship (Hendrix Achievement-Based Scholarship)

    $20,000 and up

    Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    Considered (holistic)
    SAT
    Considered unless test optional
    ACT
    Considered unless test optional
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Hendrix College Scholarship (Hendrix Achievement-Based Scholarship)

    Who qualifies

    Based on GPA, standardized test scores (unless test optional), leadership and extracurricular activities, recommendations; all accepted students receive an award via holistic review

    Worth knowing

    Page states a $20,000 floor ('and up') with no published GPA/test grid — did NOT invent one. Renewal terms are not stated on the scholarships page (confirm with aid office).

  2. Murphy Foundation ScholarshipFull tuition, fees, standard double room and unlimited meal plan (3 recipients); otherwise $4,000Not automatic
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Murphy Foundation Scholarship

    Full tuition, fees, standard double room and unlimited meal plan (3 recipients); otherwise $4,000

    Published coverage or packageNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    Open award details for Murphy Foundation Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Any admitted El Dorado High School student who qualifies for the El Dorado Promise; competitive selection

    Worth knowing

    Last-dollar award applied after the El Dorado Promise, state aid, and federal Pell. Three students selected competitively; this award REPLACES any previously awarded Hendrix merit-based aid. Students not selected still receive a $4,000 Murphy Foundation Scholarship in addition to existing Hendrix merit.

  3. Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship$1,000 (freshman), $4,000 (sophomore), $4,000 (junior), $5,000 (senior)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship

    $1,000 (freshman), $4,000 (sophomore), $4,000 (junior), $5,000 (senior)

    Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    ACT
    Academic achievement and test scores
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Arkansas residents only; apply via Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE)

    Worth knowing

    Portable state award hosted/listed by Hendrix; escalating year-by-year amounts. Apply through ADHE, not Hendrix.

  4. Arkansas Governor's Distinguished ScholarshipAmount not publishedNot automatic
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Arkansas Governor's Distinguished Scholarship

    Amount not published

    Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    Open award details for Arkansas Governor's Distinguished Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Arkansas residents only; see ADHE; apply via ADHE

    Worth knowing

    Amount is determined each February for new students enrolling the following fall (not published on the Hendrix page).

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What makes Hendrix different

Hendrix gives every admit a holistic Hendrix College Scholarship ($20,000 and up) plus $2,000 performance/service awards that require on-campus housing; the El Dorado Murphy Foundation award is a full-ride that replaces prior Hendrix merit.

Merit tiers4See who qualifies
First-year students with school awards36%First-year students, CDS 2022-2023
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

Selection beyond grades and scores

Start with the selection process.

These awards are not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read each award's selection rules, application steps and dates. Meeting a minimum is not an award offer.

  1. Read the selection rules

    Look for the school's stated criteria and whether an additional application is needed.

  2. Check the application dates

    Confirm the current admission and scholarship deadlines directly with the school.

  3. Know what happens next year

    Check renewal, credit requirements and how other aid affects the award.

The fine print / Three questions to carry forward

Before you count on it.

Does it apply to us? Confirm the entering year, residency and every eligibility condition.

Can we keep it? Check renewal GPA, credits and how long the award lasts.

Can we combine it? Ask how outside scholarships and other school awards change the offer.

Take Hendrix's decision sheet

A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.

See what could change an award

What families often miss

  1. The Esports, UMYF Leadership, Miller Center Service, and Performing & Fine Arts scholarships each carry an explicit 'On-Campus Housing Required' condition.

  2. For the three competitively selected El Dorado recipients, the Murphy Foundation award is last-dollar and REPLACES any previously awarded Hendrix merit-based aid; only the $4,000 consolation Murphy award is additive.

  3. The Hendrix College Scholarship is stated as '$20,000 and up' from a holistic review — a floor, not a published amount; there is no public GPA/test grid guaranteeing a specific number.

  4. Hendrix publishes a $56,400 direct-cost (tuition+fees+housing+food) total and a separate full 9-month on-campus COA of $61,880 that adds books, loan fees, transportation and personal expenses.

  5. The 2026-27 tuition & fees are explicitly 'pending Board approval. Subject to change.'

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

A strong all-around applicant who will live on campus (the $2,000 talent/service add-ons require it) and ideally an Arkansas resident who can stack state ADHE awards; El Dorado Promise students should look at the competitive Murphy Foundation full-ride.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $61,880 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Hendrix, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.

Average annual net price by family income at Hendrix, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$15,951
$30,001–$48,000$18,838
$48,001–$75,000$26,414
$75,001–$110,000$26,396
$110,001+$27,453
All income levels (average)$24,149

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$38,200
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$24,149

That works out to roughly a 56% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $55,013 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
72%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
80%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$26,688 (~$283/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$60,376
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
25%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
52%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Outside scholarships reduce loans and/or work-study first; institutional grants are only reduced if required to prevent an over-award.

Verified policy language (2026-07-02): When an outside award changes eligibility for need-based financial aid, Hendrix will first reduce federal work study eligibility, subsidized student loan dollars, or convert subsidized into unsubsidized loans in order to comply with federal regulations. Need-based grants will only be reduced if no other compliance options are available. In no case may a student receive gift aid (grants and/or scholarships) from all sources (Hendrix, federal, state, private) in excess of the total cost of attendance at Hendrix... If the amount of total gift aid from all sources exceeds Hendrix's total cost of attendance, Hendrix gift aid (grants and/or scholarships) will be reduced accordingly.

Source

More school data

From the Hendrix Common Data Set 2022-2023:

Merit penetrationHow likely is merit aid here?From Hendrix’s Common Data Set: the share of first-year students who receive institutional merit and the average dollar amount when they do.
36%of admitsget merit
Average award$25,588Covers ~41% of $61,880 cost of attendance

At Hendrix, roughly 1 in 3 first-year admits receive institutional merit aid. The average award is $25,588 — about 41% of total cost.

As filed in Hendrix's CDS Section H2A: of 357 first-time, full-time degree-seeking freshmen, 130 had no financial need and received institutional merit (non-need) scholarship or grant aid, averaging $25,588. Across all full-time degree-seeking undergraduates: 411 of 1,092, averaging $31,365. Athletic awards are excluded per the CDS definition.

Receive institutional merit36%First-year students, Common Data Set 2022-2023
Average merit award$25,588Across recipients, Common Data Set 2022-2023

Source: Common Data Set 2022-2023 (verified 2026-07-23)

Other Hendrix scholarships worth checking

These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.

Amount$2,000 per yearEligibilityPromise of contribution to the Esports team

On-Campus Housing Required.

Source

Amount$2,000 per yearEligibilityLeadership in United Methodist youth ministries

On-Campus Housing Required.

Source

Amount$2,000 per yearEligibilityDemonstrated record of service and volunteer work

On-Campus Housing Required.

Source

Amount$2,000 per yearEligibilityTalent in music, theatre, dance, and art; open to non-majors

Audition Required; On-Campus Housing Required.

Source

Amount$2,000 per yearEligibilityTransfer students who are members of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (reflected on transcripts)

Source

Hendrix merit aid FAQ

  • What is the scholarship deadline?

    No hard deadline is published for the Hendrix College Scholarship — all accepted students are automatically considered via holistic review; contact your Hendrix admission counselor. Arkansas state awards are applied for through the ADHE portal, and the Governor's Distinguished amount is set each February.

  • Is on-campus housing required for the talent awards?

    Yes — the Esports, UMYF Leadership, Miller Center Service, and Performing & Fine Arts $2,000/year scholarships all require on-campus housing (Performing & Fine Arts also requires an audition).

  • What is the full cost of attendance for 2026-27?

    $61,880 for 9 months on campus (tuition $40,572; fees $550; loan fees $60; books $900; housing $7,678; food $7,600; transportation $1,520; personal $3,000). Off-campus is $59,110 and living with parent is $52,174.

See sources and other schools

How Hendrix compares

  • 145 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use loan-first displacement.

    Hendrix is in a recognizable cluster (145 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

  • 665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Hendrix is one of them. The cohort minority (84 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.

Sources used on this page

Every claim is checked against Hendrix’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

Keep exploring Hendrix merit aid

The next chapter

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